Sharepoint Document Approval with multiple document versions in Pending state.

Question

I have configured Document Approval for a Document list in Sharepoint. I wish to have multiple users (not with approval status) to be able to edit the document and submit for approval. If multiple users edit the document prior to any of them having their document approved, how does the Approver know which changes are from which version and how can the Approver approve one version and not the other.

User A and User B have edit writes and not approval rights to list
Approver has approval rights to list.

User A edits document A.docx (version 1.0) and submits for approval (now version 1.1)
User B edits document A.docx (version 1.0 since they cannot see User A's edits and it has not been approved yet) and submits for approval. (not version 1.2)
Approver sees document A.docx and wishes to approve User A's edits and decline User B's edits so that there is a new version A.docx (Version 2.0) with only User A's edits.

How can this be done?

Answer 1

Hello @Shkuda, Terri ,

Welcome to Q&A Forum!

I tested it according to your description. I need to make it clear that "User B edits document A.docx (version 1.0 since they cannot see User A's edits and it has not been approved yet) and submits for approval. (not version 1.2)" which is not possible.

This is because when the same document is edited by different users, if the document Approval Status of the user who edited the document first is in the Pending, the subsequent users cannot edit the document at all. In other words, only after the Approver ends User A's Approval Process (either Approved or Rejected), User B can able to edit documentA.docx .

Here is my test:

1.User A - MiKi edits DocTest-A.docx and submits for approval

3.User A's approval is in Pending

4.User B - Test edits DocTest-A.docx

• a.Edit in browser

• b.Edit in app

Thanks,
Echo Du

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